Jun 4 1998
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(New page: Space Shuttle Discovery docked successfully with Mir. Upon the opening of the hatches, astronaut Andrew S. W. Thomas officially ended his 130-day mission aboard Mir and...)
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Space Shuttle Discovery docked successfully with Mir. Upon the opening of the hatches, astronaut Andrew S. W. Thomas officially ended his 130-day mission aboard Mir and became a crew member of Discovery. The transfer also marked the completion of a total of 907 days of U.S. astronaut presence aboard the space station. Because of the Ku-band failure, Russian cameras on Mir recorded the docking, while Russian ground stations televised live the meeting of the two crews.
During a meeting at Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), NASA Administrator Daniel S. Goldin directed MSFC officials to draw up a new plan for meeting the goals of the Bantam Program. The program's original goal had been to develop, by 2001, a rocket capable of launching 150-kilogram or 0.15-tonne (331-pound or 0.2-ton) payloads, at a cost of no more than US$1.5 million. None of the rockets developed with NASA funding would have met that cost target. Bantam Program Manager Sherry Buschmann reiterated NASA's commitment to "achieving a capability to launch small payloads frequently at an affordable cost," saying that the plan would meet a "legitimate need within the science community."
NASA announced the astronaut candidate class of 1998, including 8 pilot candidates and 17 mission specialist candidates, and composed of 21 male and 4 female candidates. Among the candidate class was teacher Barbara R. Morgan, the former understudy to Christa McAuliffe. NASA had designated Morgan as Educator Mission Specialist in January 1998.
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